There’s no slowing down: Increasing collaborations and enhancing synergies

The FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York continues its series of meetings to increase collaborations and enhance synergies with Member States and United Nations (UN) entities. The new FAO Director of the Liaison Office in New York, QU Guangzhou had a busy and interesting week discussing strengthening synergies with partners; maximizing partnerships; advocating for sustainable agri-food systems transformation, rural development, sustainable agriculture and resilience; and supporting the work of the UN.

Bilateral meetings with Member States and UN entities

In these meetings, QU Guangzhou has reiterated FAO’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the transformation of food systems and FAO’s support to the upcoming Food Systems Summit, its commitment to the UN reform, its flagship initiatives, and highlighted the challenges faced by SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs. FAO has undergone changes to deliver better results, including establishing dedicated offices to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, to the SDGs and to Innovation. With its vision of the "4 betters" – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – guiding the organization’s efforts, FAO is ready to streamline its work to face the challenges ahead.

When meeting with Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), discussions focussed on strengthening collaboration in New York, in particular under the framework of the current Memorandum of Understanding, but also beyond sharing the common goal to help the most vulnerable. During their meeting, Courtney Nemroff, the Acting Deputy Representative to the Economic and Social Council and Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs at the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations, highlighted the important role that the FAO Liaison Office will play as the UN continues its work on the COVID-19 response and recovery, climate change, and the worsening acute food insecurity, in addition to the support planning for the Food Systems Summit and LDC5 preparations.

Ambassador Magzhan Ilyassov, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations and Chairperson of LLCDs, stressed the importance of LLDCs, strengthening collaboration to implement the roadmap of Vienna Programme of Action and daunting challenges LLDCs are facing in connectivity and trade and exacerbated by the pandemic. Discussions with Ambassador Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations included the upcoming High-Level Political Forum and the SDG2 review, the importance of food and agriculture in COVID-19 recovery, and the joint commitment to work to build back better. During the meeting with Dmitry S. Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, they discussed strengthening collaboration with the UN system and underlined the existing, excellent relationship between FAO and the Russian Federation. Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, discussed the importance of the collaboration with the FAO Liaison Office on issues such as conflict and hunger, sustainable consumption and production, and in building resilient food systems. Ambassador Abdou Abarry highlighted the impact of conflict and climate change on acute food insecurity in the Sahel and QU Guangzhou, FAO Director of the Liaison Office in New York, reiterated FAO’s support to food security in Niger.

Since joining the FAO Liaison Office in New York, QU Guangzhou has held 22 courtesy calls.